the fact is the filibuster's done by southern democratic senators to oppose civil rights or voting rights in a deflation were opposed by republicans, just as they were by non- southern democrats. the fact is that civil rights and legislation and overcoming this filibuster's and being enacted which at least as much to the credit and responsibility of everett dirksen, the minority leader, as to lyndon johnson. what we have seen is a regular use of the filibuster now as a partisan tool, and not just a group of members of the party, but the entire party has fashioned by the minority leader. the second is the use of the filibuster routinely, not on issues of great national significance, and not simply on those issues where the majority leader kills the amendment tree, but on issues and nominations which ultimately pass unanimously or near it unanimously. keep in mind on nominations, where holds which are notices that you can deny unanimous consent, you do not have amendments to nominations. you do not have a process where you would basically have a protest in order. they have been used simply